Department for Transport

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Staff

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of whether the work load of the DVLA's medical section has increased in the last five years; and how many extra staff have been hired in that section in that same period.

Jesse Norman: The number of medical cases dealt with by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has increased from 656,000 in 2013/14 to 741,000 in 2017/18. Since April 2013, the number of staff in the DVLA’s medical section has increased by 218. This includes an increase in the number of doctors employed from 22 to 36. Ten nurses were also recruited for the first time in 2017. The doctors and nurses employed by the DVLA deal with the most complex medical cases. During this time, DVLA has also made significant changes to IT systems and processes to improve customer service and increase efficiency. This includes the online service introduced in October 2016 to allow customers to notify the DVLA of a medical condition or renew a driving licence previously issued following a medical condition.

Driving: Licensing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of people who did not inform the DVLA of medical conditions as required in each the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the reasons people do not so inform the DVLA.

Jesse Norman: Information is not held on the number of people who fail to comply with their legal obligation to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of a medical condition that may affect their fitness to drive.The UK’s roads are among the safest in the world and there is no evidence to suggest that there is a widespread road safety issue related to drivers who may be driving inappropriately due to a prescribed medical condition.

Driving: Licensing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people were prosecuted for failing to inform DVLA of medical conditions in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman: Information about the number of people prosecuted for failing to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of a medical condition is not available. Decisions to prosecute in such cases are a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in Scotland.

Driving: Licensing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what provisions are in place to allow doctors to provide information to the DVLA on a person’s fitness to drive.

Jesse Norman: Doctors play an important role in the medical notification process by advising their patients of the effect of any treatment or medication that they are receiving and whether they should notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). The DVLA will often correspond with a patient’s doctor, consultant or optician as part of the medical investigation to determine the impact of the patient’s condition on their fitness to drive. The DVLA provides a dedicated telephone line which allows doctors to discuss concerns about a patient’s fitness to drive with one of the DVLA’s doctors. A doctor may also decide to notify the DVLA directly about a patient’s medical condition. This is provided for in guidance from the General Medical Council, which states that while doctors must make every reasonable effort to persuade their patients to inform the DVLA, they may themselves notify the DVLA of a patient’s medical condition, in confidence, if the patient does not do so. To assist the medical profession the DVLA has created a dedicated form that may be used for this purpose. The DVLA treats notifications received from doctors and opticians as a high priority.

Crossrail: Finance

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2018 to Question 122085 on Crossrail, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) amount and (b) availability of funding required.

Joseph Johnson: The Government’s and Transport for London’s immediate priority is to see the Crossrail project delivered on time and I am pleased to report that this continues to be the case, with full operations commencing from late 2019. There are no current plans to extend the Crossrail route and no assessment has been made of the amount or availability of funding for an extension to Basingstoke.

Crossrail: Basingstoke

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2018 to Question 122085 on Crossrail,  what assessment his Department has made of the technical feasibility of extending Crossrail to Basingstoke; and what criteria his Department uses to assess the technical feasibility of such proposals.

Joseph Johnson: There are no current plans to extend the Crossrail route to Basingstoke and no assessment has been made of the technical feasibility to do so. The Governance for Railway Investment Projects (GRIP) process describes how Network Rail manages and controls projects that enhance or renew the national rail network. GRIP divides a project into eight stages. Options are considered at GRIP stage 2 (Feasibility) which looks at whether they can be delivered economically and in line with current network proposals and strategies. At this stage the preferred option is defined and outline designs are produced. Technical feasibility of an option that has been selected is usually considered in detail in GRIP stage 4, Single Option Development.

Crossrail: Cost Effectiveness

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2018 to Question 122085 on Crossrail, what criteria his Department uses to assess whether such proposals are good value for money.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport undertakes Cost-Benefit Analysis, using the guidance set out in WebTAG (available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transport-analysis-guidance-webtag), to inform enhancement decisions. This analysis considers the impacts of alternative options to deliver a stated objective, and attempts to quantify them where possible. These impacts include the infrastructure costs of the scheme and the ongoing financial impacts for railway services, as well as the social impacts of the scheme for train users and other affected parties (such as road users and local residents). Wider economic impacts (such as making it easier for people to access more productive jobs) are also considered.

Bus Services: Cornwall

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse has been of subsidising bus travel in (a) Cornwall and (b) North Cornwall in each year since 2015.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Bus Services Operators Grant (BSOG) is a demand-led grant regime in England under which payments are made to bus companies to help meet some of their fuel costs in running local bus services. BSOG spend figures are published annually on Gov.uk and can be found via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bus-services-grants-and-funding#bsog-spend BSOG spend figures are broken down to upper tier local authority level only, and not further to North Cornwall, specifically. It should be noted that the local authorities listed in the table are derived from the address given on the BSOG claim form. This means that the figures do not reflect the geographical location of bus services, and may not capture all relevant services in Cornwall. As a result of claims received in the Department that are clearly identified as being located from operators in Cornwall, a total of £1,031,489.59 was paid in 2014-15, £76,363.15 in 2015-2016, and £75,977.93 in 2016-17. Note that the reason for the big drop in BSOG paid after 2014/15 is due to a bus company with an address in Cornwall ceasing trading. Whilst their services were absorbed by other operators, the addresses on the claim forms for these other operators were outside Cornwall therefore spend has been attributed to other upper tier local authorities.

Bus Services: North West Durham

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve bus links in North West Durham constituency.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision is primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. Decisions on subsidised bus services are a matter for individual English local authorities, in the light of their other spending priorities. However, my Department provides around £40m of Bus Subsidy Operators Grant (BSOG) directly to English local authorities for local bus services, of which Durham receives around £347,000. BSOG plays an especially important role in protecting services in rural areas by helping extend the bus network, providing residents with vital links to local services. The Bus Services Act 2017 introduces a number of new tools to help local authorities improve local bus services in their area. Through partnership arrangements we have enabled local authorities and bus operators to work constructively to provide better services for passengers.

Department for Transport: Fair Trade Initiative

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of his Department's spend on day-to-day goods has comprised fair trade products in each of the last eight years.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Department for Transport: Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, to which organisations his Department has outsourced functions since 2011.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Department for Transport: Trade Unions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what percentage of workers employed directly by his Department belonged to a trade union in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: We do not hold records of all civil servants within the Department for Transport who are members of trade unions.

Department for Transport: Zero Hours Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) full-time staff, (b) part-time staff, (c) temporary staff and (d) any other staff were directly employed on zero-hours contracts by his Department in each of the last eight years.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department (including Central department and Executive Agencies) has had no full-time, part-time, temporary or any other staff employed on zero-hours contracts during the last eight years.

Department for Transport: Flexible Working

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what percentage of employees in his Department worked (a) in departmental accommodation, (b) from home and (c) at any other location in the most recent 12-month period for which data is available.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: 10,860 staff (75.2%) in the Department worked in departmental accommodation, fewer than 5* staff (less than 1%) worked from home and 3582 staff (24.8%) worked from other locations. The staff working from ‘other locations’ are Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) staff working at smaller locations including driving test centres and Goods Vehicle Testing Stations around the country rather than at the main DVSA headquarters. The data includes the Central department and Executive Agencies and percentages are calculated using figures taken from headcount at the end of January 2018. It should be noted that these figures are based on agreed location of work from employment contracts. The Department operates and encourages flexible working and therefore as part of localised non-contractual agreements, more staff may work from home for some of the week however this is not recorded. *In line with Data Protection requirements, where there are fewer than 5 members of staff, I am unable to disclose further information.

Charging Points: Rural Areas

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to roll-out superfast charging infrastructure to rural areas.

Jesse Norman: We want people across the country to have the opportunity to make the move to electric vehicles (EVs). The vast majority of EV drivers choose to charge their cars at home, overnight, or increasingly at the workplace, but public charging is still important. Higher powered charging technology (above 150 kW) has been developed in response to increasing sizes of car batteries, and although no EV models that can currently charge at that rate are commercially available in the UK, they are expected to be later this year. Some vehicle manufacturers, such as the Ionity group, are already investing in order to make these high powered chargers publicly available. The UK already has more than 900 rapid chargepoints, one of the largest networks in Europe. The Government has put in place a range of grant schemes to support the installation of charging infrastructure - on-street, off-street and at workplaces that are available in any urban or rural areas UK-wide. In addition, under the Government’s Go Ultra Low City Scheme £22.9m has been allocated to support the installation of infrastructure currently being procured and installed in several UK cities and surrounding rural areas. One of these cities, York, is currently exploring the installation of high-powered charging. At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor announced a new £400m electric vehicle Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund. This funding could include supporting rapid chargers in both rural and urban areas, and more detail on how the Fund will be administered will be published in due course. The Government is also taking powers through the Automated and Electric Vehicle Bill to ensure the roll-out of electric vehicle infrastructure at key locations like motorway service areas and large fuel stations, which again could involve both urban and more rural areas.

Shared Spaces

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of minimum (a) kerb heights and (b) levels of provision of crossings required for shared space schemes.

Jesse Norman: The Department’s guidance on shared space, Local Transport Note 1/11 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shared-space), includes advice on the use of kerbs and provision of crossings. The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation recently published its review of shared space schemes, which makes recommendations to Government for further work (www.ciht.org.uk/en/knowledge/streets-and-transport-in-the-urban-environment/index.cfm) including in relation to kerb heights and crossings. The Department is considering these recommendations. Local authorities are responsible for the design of their streets. It is for them to ensure any public realm scheme, including a shared space, is inclusive and meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Prices

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of proposals to remove appeal rights in the draft Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill on levels of investment in (a) the energy sector and (b) other sectors; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The Bill, subject to the will of Parliament, will place a new duty on Ofgem to implement a cap on standard variable and defaults tariffs, so it does not remove an existing right of appeal. Energy companies would be able to challenge Ofgem’s decision on the setting of the cap by way of judicial review. The Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill is also clear that Ofgem must have regard to the need to ensure that holders of supply licences who operate efficiently are able to finance activities authorised by the licence. It would be for the independent regulator, Ofgem, to make its assessment of efficient operations. Ofgem is not required to have regard to investment projects that are outside the scope of the activities authorised by the supply licence.

Energy: Prices

Sir Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the draft Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill on future investment by UK energy companies in (a) renewable energy, (b) nuclear power generation, (c) gas-fired power plants and (d) battery storage; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill is clear that Ofgem must have regard to the need to ensure that holders of supply licences who operate efficiently are able to finance activities authorised by the licence. It would be for the independent regulator, Ofgem, to make its assessment of efficient operations. Ofgem is not required to have regard to investment projects that are outside the scope of the activities authorised by the supply licence.

Fracking

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Implementation Unit Report on Shale Gas, what estimate the Government has made of the potential effect on employment of the projected (a) 17 sites by 2020, (b) 30-35 sites by 2022 and (c) 155 sites by 2025.

Claire Perry: BEIS has not made any estimates of the potential effect on employment from the future development of the shale gas industry.

Renewable Energy

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate the Government has made of the number of jobs which will be created by the renewables industry over the next ten years.

Claire Perry: The Government does not produce forecasts for job creation over a future time period for the renewables industry.

Fracking

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the implementation unit report on shale gas extraction, what disposal method will be used for flowback waste from (a) the 17 sites by 2020, (b) the 30 to 35 sites by 2022 and (c) the 155 sites by 2025.

Claire Perry: It is up to the operator to agree disposal methods with the appropriate regulators as part of their planning application for any future shale gas development.

Fracking

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Implementation Unit Report on Shale Gas, what estimate the Government has made of the amount of flowback waste which would need to be disposed of for the projected (a) 17 sites by 2020, (b) 30-35 sites by 2022 and (c) 155 sites by 2025.

Claire Perry: The Government has not made an assessment of the amount of flowback waste which would be produced from any future shale gas development.

Fracking

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Implementation Unit Report on Shale Gas, which disposal method is planned to be used for the projected (a) 17 sites by 2020, (b) 30-35 sites by 2022 and (c) 155 sites by 2025.

Claire Perry: It is the operator’s responsibility to agree disposal methods with the appropriate regulators as part of their planning application for all shale gas development.

Electricity Generation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what role the concept of baseload generation plays in his Department's planning for the future electricity system, allocation plans for contracts for difference and calculation of value for money of different generation sources.

Claire Perry: The concept of baseload refers to generation that operates continually throughout the year. As electricity demand varies widely from day to night and by season, there is a limit to the need for baseload generation which is less than the summer minimum demand. Baseload generation brings both benefits and costs to the system relative to generation that is designed to operate more flexibly or is intermittent. The electricity system already has many features that reward different types of generation depending on the demands of the system. When considering value for money, Government considers whole electricity system impacts. This includes the benefits of baseload generation relative to other technologies, and the cost of it not being able to increase or decrease output rapidly and of procuring reserve capacity to cover the risk of failure. The Capacity Market is at the heart of the Government’s plans for a reliable energy system; it secures the capacity required to meet peak demand through auctions held four and one year ahead of delivery. It supports technically reliable existing plant to remain in the market and, as coal and other ageing plant retire, it will strengthen incentives for new plant to be financed and built. The Contracts for Difference scheme allocates support using a competitive auction process to projects with the lowest price bids, which drives efficiency and cost reduction. The scheme has been a success in delivering substantial new investment and helping to deliver significant reductions in the costs of some renewable technologies. We keep it under review in order to ensure it continues to operate effectively and deliver value for money to the consumer.

Design: Counterfeit Manufacturing

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what intellectual property protections and enforcement measures counterfeiting authorities may use for counterfeiting and piracy of designs made by 3D printing.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Intellectual property protections apply to designs replicated by 3D printing in the same way as they apply to articles created by more traditional manufacturing processes. The protection and enforcement measures available will vary according to what rights exist in the design, and the circumstances of each case, but these could include both civil and criminal sanctions. Relevant protections could include copyright, registered and unregistered design rights, patents or trade marks.

Horizon 2020

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Treasury underwrite of Horizon 2020 funding awarded before the UK leaves the EU will cover European Research Council grant holders who were working at institutions outside of the UK when they signed their grant but who want to relocate to complete their research at a UK institution.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The UK is eligible to fully participate in all aspects of the Horizon 2020 programme, including the European Research Council (ERC), while we remain a member of the EU. In addition, the Joint Report presented by EU and UK negotiators states that: “following withdrawal from the Union the UK will continue to participate in the Union programmes financed by the MFF 2014-2020 until their closure”. This includes participation in Horizon 2020.This means that, subject to the Withdrawal Agreement, ERC grant holders will continue to be eligible to relocate their grants to and from the UK. However, the Government’s underwrite guarantee remains in place in the event that commitments made in the Joint Report are not met. This ensures UK participants who successfully bid for competitive EU funds, including those delivered through the ERC, before the UK’s withdrawal from the EU will receive funding.

EURATOM: Equipment

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what comparative estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of  (a) purchasing Euratom equipment and (b) decommissioning Euratom-owned equipment and purchasing new equipment to establish a UK safeguards regime.

Richard Harrington: The UK Government is committed to having all necessary safeguards equipment in place to ensure continuity of safeguards operations and that the UK continues to comply with its international obligations when the UK leaves the EU and Euratom. As part of this, consideration is being given to the possibility of the UK taking ownership of existing Euratom-owned equipment, as set out in the EU27 and the UK position papers published in July 2017. As the subject of on-going negotiations, it is not possible to share the details or cost estimates of this consideration; but the UK has been clear that the decision will need to be rooted in a common understanding of the fair value and liabilities of the equipment concerned.

Industry

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Sectary of State what progress has been made on agreeing Local Industrial Strategies; and which local areas are in discussion with his Department to develop Local Industrial Strategies.

Andrew Griffiths: As set out in the Industrial Strategy White Paper we will prioritise agreeing Local Industrial Strategies with areas that have the potential to drive wider regional growth, focusing on clusters of expertise and centres of economic activity.At the Budget we confirmed that we will work in partnership with Greater Manchester Mayoral Combined Authority to develop a Local Industrial Strategy. The Second Devolution Deal for the West Midlands Mayoral Combined Authority included a commitment to produce a Local Industrial Strategy. In addition, as part of the Government’s overarching vision to drive economic growth and productivity in the Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford Corridor, we invited the Corridor’s LEPs, along with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayoral Combined Authority, to begin the development of Local Industrial Strategies.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Sudan: Detainees

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the proportionality and compatibility with international human rights conventions of the response from the Government of Sudan towards demonstrators following protests which began on 12 January 2018 due to sharp rises in the price of bread.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Government remains concerned about the arbitrary arrest and continued detention without charge or trial of a number of activists involved in recent protests in Sudan. We have continually raised the issue with the Government of Sudan. While we have not seen evidence of systemic mistreatment among the general prison population in Sudan, there is considerable evidence that facilities operated by the National Intelligence and Security Services do routinely mistreat detainees. We continue to call on the Government of Sudan to release all these remaining detainees as soon as possible, and continue to make clear our expectation that all detainees will be treated in accordance with international standards. More widely, we urge the Government of Sudan to implement the recommendations of the National Dialogue that relate to limiting the powers of the National Intelligence and Security Service to arrest and detain individuals.

USA: Elections

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has (a) been asked to provide, (b) offered and (c) provided any information to the Mueller inquiry into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The US and UK have a strong and close relationship. We cooperate with the US authorities when required to do so. The Mueller inquiry is a matter for the US judiciary. As the investigation is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Private Finance Initiative

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of his Department's spend on day-to-day goods comprised fair trade products in each of the last eight years.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not centrally hold data on the proportion of expenditure on fair trade products.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, to which organisations his Department has outsourced functions since 2011.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has outsourced the service integration and management of its Global IT providers via BAE Systems since 2013.More individual overseas posts might also have put local outsourcing arrangements in place, but we do not hold the data for this centrally, and it would incur disproportionate cost to provide an answer on that basis.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Trade Unions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what percentage of workers employed directly by his Department belonged to a trade union in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​This information is not held by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Staff pay subscriptions themselves to their trade union.

Burma: Procurement

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2018 to Question 121105, whether the British Embassy or other UK Government offices in Myanmar purchased any goods or services from military-owned or controlled companies.

Mark Field: I refer my Rt. Hon Friend to my response to his previous question on 15 January 2018 (PQ 121105).

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Zero Hours Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) full-time staff, (b) part-time staff, (c) temporary staff and (d) any other staff were employed directly by his Department on zero-hours contracts in each of the last eight years.

Sir Alan Duncan: Our centrally held records do not enable us to differentiate between staff on zero hours contracts and other fee paid officers where a fixed number of hours has been specified in their contracts. We are therefore unable to state how many staff were employed on zero hours contracts over the past eight years.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Flexible Working

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many and what percentage of employees in his Department worked (a) in departmental accommodation, (b) from home and (c) at any other location in the most recent 12-month period for which data is available.

Sir Alan Duncan: We do not centrally hold details of the numbers of employees working from home or another remote location. Staff are able to agree flexible working arrangements with their line managers. To provide this would require us to gather information from individuals in the United Kingdom and across the world. The cost of doing this would be disproportionate and would exceed the appropriate limit.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office supports efficient flexible working for all its employees.

Borneo: Primates

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle the effect of palm-oil production on orangutan populations in Borneo.

Mark Field: The UK supports sustainable trade of agricultural commodities, including palm oil. We are a signatory to the Amsterdam Declaration in support of a fully sustainable palm oil supply chain and are a member of the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020. These initiatives support action to prevent deforestation and protect habitats for endangered species like orang-utans.In Indonesia, we are working with the Government to help strengthen its sustainable palm oil standard. We are also working with the Indonesian financial services authority on regulations to raise industry environmental and social standards, including relating to biodiversity and conservation. In Malaysia we are working with Government enforcement agencies and NGOs to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and deforestation.

Malaysia: Politics and Government

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Government of Malaysia on the effect of palm oil production on (a) deforestation and (b) endangered wildlife species in that country.

Mark Field: We are in regular contact with the Malaysian Government on the issues of deforestation and endangered wildlife. The UK supports sustainable trade of agricultural commodities associated with deforestation, including palm oil. We are a signatory to the Amsterdam Declaration in support of a fully sustainable palm oil supply chain and are a member of the Tropical Forest Alliance.Most recently, my Right Honourable friend Lord Henley, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy, Innovation and Skills, met the Malaysian Minister for Plantations Mah Siew Keong on Wednesday 14 February to discuss this issue and the proposed European Parliament amendments to the EU Renewable Energy Directive.

Papua: Politics and Government

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Indonesian Government on its decision to restrict the international media presence in West Papua.

Mark Field: ​Indonesian President Joko Widodo made a commitment in May 2015 that foreign journalists would be allowed to visit Papua and West Papua. Nevertheless, we continue to receive reports that journalists face difficulties in securing visas and restrictions on free reporting. In January of this year, Lord Ahmad raised his concern on this issue with the Indonesian Ambassador to London and we submitted an advanced question to Indonesia on this ahead of their Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council in May 2017.

Papua: Human Rights

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to discuss human rights violations in West Papua at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2018.

Mark Field: The Government follows the situation in Papua closely and regularly presses the Indonesian authorities to address legitimate concerns relating to human rights and restrictions on freedom of expression. We assess this to be the most effective method to raise our concerns. We are pleased that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has been invited to visit Papua soon.

Papua: Human Rights

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in West Papua.

Mark Field: The Government follows the situation in Papua closely and regularly presses the Indonesian authorities to address legitimate concerns relating to human rights and restrictions on freedom of expression.In January, Lord Ahmad met the Indonesian ambassador to London and raised reports of restricted access to Papua for journalists and investigations into alleged human rights abuses by security forces there. Our Ambassador to Indonesia, Moazzam Malik visited the province in November last year as part of his regular programme of travel around Indonesia. During the visit, he met local government officials, civil society groups, businesses and local communities and discussed human rights.

Papua: Politics and Government

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to make representations to the UN Decolonisation Committee on the situation in West Papua; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: No. The Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua are not one of the 17 non-self-governing territories covered by the UN decolonisation committee and therefore fall outside of the committee's mandate.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Fairtrade Initiative

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of his Department's spend on day-to-day goods comprised fair trade products in each of the last eight years.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Northern Ireland Office is fully committed to ethical procurement; however, we are unable to quantify what proportion of our annual spend relates to fair trade products over the requested period.

Northern Ireland Office: Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to which organisations his Department has outsourced functions since 2011.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Since 2011, the Northern Ireland Office has used two centres of procurement excellence. The Central Procurement Division and Crown Commercial Services, provide procurement oversight for the full range of outsourced services for the department. Both organisations publish relevant details on their websites for which the links have been provided. This includes any collaborative contracts which the department may use for additional outsourced functions.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Boating: Qualifications

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union how the Government plans to ensure that UK citizens who are Royal Yachting Association accredited instructors can continue to work on a seasonal basis in EU member states for such purposes after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government has been clear that we will seek to agree an implementation period beyond March 2019 of around two years. During the implementation period people will be able to come to live, study and work in the UK as they do now. This would also be the case for UK nationals travelling or working in the EU during this period, including accredited yachting instructors.Royal Yachting Association certificates and qualifications apply to people working and sailing on British flagged boats. Royal Yachting Association (RYA) qualifications are not covered by the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications (MRPQ) Directive. Holders of these certificates should check the certification requirements of the local Port State Control Administration prior to entering their jurisdiction.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Fairtrade Initiative

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what proportion of his Department's spend on day-to-day goods comprised fair trade products in each of the last eight years.

Stuart Andrew: The Wales Office does not routinely spend on day-to-day food and drink products and uses Ministry of Justice contracts to procure most of our non-food day-to-day goods.

Wales Office: Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, to which organisations his Department has outsourced functions since 2011.

Stuart Andrew: None. As a small Department, the Wales Office uses services provided by the Ministry of Justice in areas such as human resources, information technology, finance and facilities management.

Wales Office: Trade Unions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what percentage of workers employed directly by his Department belonged to a trade union in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Stuart Andrew: The Wales Office does not record how many of its staff are members of a trade union. The Department is not an employer in its own right and most of our staff are employed by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). The MOJ held data until December 2014 on the number of staff (including Wales Office staff) who were members of a trade union. However, following the removal of check-off as a method of payment for members to pay for union subscriptions it is no longer possible to verify the numbers of staff that are trade union members.

Wales Office: Zero Hours Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many (a) full-time staff, (b) part-time staff, (c) temporary staff, and (d) any other staff were directly employed on zero-hours contracts by his Department in each of the last eight years.

Stuart Andrew: The Wales Office employed one member of staff on a zero-hours contract during 2009/10 and 2010/11, on a part-time basis. The Department has not employed anyone on a zero-hours contract since 2010/11.

Wales Office: Flexible Working

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department worked in (a) departmental accommodation, (b) from home and (c) in any other location in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Stuart Andrew: All Wales Office staff are based in departmental accommodation, at either our London or Cardiff offices. The Department encourages flexible working and uses Ministry of Justice flexible working policies to enable staff to have working patterns that suit both individuals’ and business’ needs.

Department for Education

Schools: Sports

Leo Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of whether there is a link between participation in sport and mental health wellbeing among school pupils; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department works closely with the Department of Health and Social Care on the mental health of children. There is a range of more general evidence on the benefits of participation in sport and physical activity. The Chief Medical Officer’s annual report in 2012 highlighted that regular participation in physical activity offers children health and social benefits, impacting on physiological health as well as social wellbeing. ‘How healthy behaviour supports children’s wellbeing’, a report published by Public Health England (PHE) in 2013 summarised evidence in this area: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/how-healthy-behaviour-supports-childrens-wellbeing. PHE also published guidance in 2015, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/what-works-in-schools-to-increase-physical-activity-briefing. PE remains compulsory at all four key stages in the national curriculum. Through the primary PE and sport premium, the Government has provided over £600 million to primary schools to be spent on the improvement of PE and sport. The Government doubled funding for the premium to £320 million a year from September 2017.

Adult Education

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many adult education learners received (a) hardship funding, (b) 20 hours childcare funding and (c) residential access funding by region in each year since 2010-11.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not held centrally.  As a result, we are unable to identify accurately how many adult education learners received hardship funding, 20 hours childcare funding, and residential access funding by region in each year since 2010-11.

Adult Education

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many adults participated in an (a) English and (b) maths course delivered at their workplace, that was fully-funded by the Adult Education Budget, in each of the past five years.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not held centrally.As a result, we are unable to identify accurately how many adults participated in English and mathematics courses delivered at their workplace funded by the Adult Education Budget.

Adult Education: Finance

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many providers allocated funding from the Adult Education Budget received an inadequate outcome following their latest financial health assessment by the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many on-site visits Education and Skills Funding Agency staff have made to sub-contracted providers funded through the Adult Education budget by region in the last 12 months.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many reports his Department has received of irregular (a) financial and (b) delivery activity at providers, including sub-contracted provision, that received Adult Education Budget funding in the last 12 months.

Anne Milton: 44 providers allocated funding from the Adult Education Budget received an inadequate outcome following their latest financial health assessment by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).The ESFA does not have direct relationships with subcontractors and does not visit them. The contractor is responsible for all the actions of its subcontractors connected to or arising out of the delivery of the services, which it sub-contracts.Since 1 April 2017, the ESFA has received a total of 33 reports covering allegations of irregular financial and/or delivery activity. This includes sub-contracted provision.

Children: Day Care

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much his Department plans to spend on childcare for disadvantaged children in 2018 in (a) Cornwall and (b) North Cornwall.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government funds 15 hours of free childcare a week for disadvantaged children aged two, three and four, as well as the early years pupil premium for disadvantaged three and four year olds. Early years funding is allocated on a local authority basis and Cornwall’s funding allocations for the following financial years can be found at the following links: 2018/19 (Initial allocation): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2018-to-2019. 2017/18 (Provisional allocation): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2017-to-2018.

Further Education

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been allocated from the public purse for 16 and 17-year olds studying in further education per capita in (a) England, (b) Cornwall and (c) North Cornwall in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: Allocations for students studying at post-16 institutions are not available separately for students aged 16 and 17, although data on allocations and student numbers are available for 16 to 19 year olds as set out in published allocations data. The following allocations show the average funding per student in England, Cornwall and North Cornwall for the last five academic years.   Average funding per student 2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18England£4,685£4,586£4,639£4,625£4,625Cornwall£4,389£4,355£4,480£4,541£4,554North Cornwall£4,157£4,140£4,281£4,258£4,267The above figures exclude high needs funding but include both full and part-time students, and allocations for the 16 to 19 bursary fund and free meals funding.Institutions in Cornwall and North Cornwall are funded through the same national funding formula as the rest of England and have received the same £4,000 base rate of funding for full time 16 and 17 year olds throughout the period. Average funding per student in Cornwall and North Cornwall is lower due to other factors in the 16 to 19 funding formula, for example, institutions in Cornwall do not attract an area cost uplift for higher delivery costs like those in London and South East England.

Schools: Defibrillators

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in England have access to a defibrillator.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in the North West have access to a defibrillator.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in London have access to a defibrillator.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary schools in England have access to a defibrillator.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secondary schools in England have access to a defibrillator.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many further education colleges have access to a defibrillator.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps will his Department plans to take to increase the number of schools with access to a defibrillator.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally. The purchase of a defibrillator is a matter for individual school and college leaders.   Swift access to a defibrillator is very important in cases of cardiac arrest, and so the government is encouraging schools and other eligible settings to purchase defibrillators as part of their first-aid equipment.To make it as easy as possible for schools and other eligible settings to do so, the department has negotiated a deal, with NHS Supply Chain, to offer defibrillators at a reduced cost. Since the scheme was launched in November 2014, 2763 defibrillators have been purchased through this route.

Department for Education: Fairtrade Initiative

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of his Department's spend on day-to-day goods has comprised fair trade products in each of the last eight years.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Department for Education: Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what organisations his Department has outsourced functions to since 2011.

Anne Milton: Since 2011, the department has entered shared services arrangements for two functions – the management of its estate and its human resources casework support. These are both with the Ministry of Justice. It has also outsourced two activities. The first was the analysis of 2016 key stage 2 science sampling test outcomes. This is a biennial activity and was outsourced to the National Foundation for Educational Research in 2016. The second activity is the administration of student support programmes for young people. This was contracted to Capita in 2015. The contract is currently out for re-tendering again with a start date of 2019.

Department for Education: Trade Unions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what percentage of workers employed directly by his Department belonged to a trade union in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Pre-school Education: Disability

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much money has been paid as part of the disability access fund to each local authority in each month since April 2017.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Disability Access Fund (DAF) is allocated and paid to local authorities as part of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). The provisional DAF allocations to each local authority for financial year 2017 to 2018 are available in the ‘DSG allocations: 2017 to 2018’ table on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2017-to-2018. The Education and Skills Funding Agency pays DSG to local authorities in 25 instalments during the financial year. The DSG payment dates for financial year 2017 to 2018 are in Annex A of the ‘DSG: conditions of grant 2017 to 2018’ GOV.UK at the link above.

Department for Education: Zero Hours Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) full-time staff, (b) part-time staff, (c) temporary staff and (d) any other staff were directly employed on zero-hours contracts by his Department in each of the last eight years.

Anne Milton: The department does not directly employ any staff on zero hours contracts, and has not done so in any of the last eight years.

Department for Education: Flexible Working

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what percentage of employees in his Department worked (a) in departmental accommodation, (b) from home and (c) at any other location in the most recent 12-month period for which data is available.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not held centrally. All department employees have access to a number of flexible working arrangements dependent on the role, which are agreed locally with line managers.

Ministry of Justice

Sexual Offences: British Nationals Abroad

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times s72 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 has been invoked in each year since it gained Royal assent.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 27 February 2018



Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not include the circumstances behind each case beyond the definition of the offence provided in statute. Although we can provide information on how many of each of the offences covered by section 72 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 were proceeded against at court overall, we do not have a central record of how many of those offences were alleged to have taken place outside of the UK. This information could only be obtained from the individual court files at disproportionate cost.

Gov Facility Services

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2018 to Question 125513, on Gov Facility Services, what the estimated cost is of running Gov Facility Services Limited, including sub-contractor costs, in each year from 2018 to 2022.

Rory Stewart: I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ 125513 on 9 February 2018 regarding the cost of running Gov Facility Services Limited.The estimated value including subcontractor costs is not yet determined. The MoJ will work with GFSL to ensure that subcontractors provide value for money and effective delivery of service.

Reoffenders

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) community rehabilitation companies and (b) the Probation Service use algorithms in decisions on the allocation of resources to prevent re-offending.

Rory Stewart: Protecting the public from crime and the supervision of offenders will continue to remain the Ministry of Justice’s and Probation Service’s highest priority. A “tiering” system is also used to inform case management decisions, drawing on data concerning the offence, the sentence and the assessed level of risk. The Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and the National Probation Service (NPS) draw on a wide range of information in deciding how best to manage offenders’ risk of re-offending. The OASys offender assessment system, which is used by all offender managers in CRCs and the NPS, includes an algorithm to indicate the statistical risk of re-offending and this will inform the offender manager’s judgement as to how the offender should be managed. These tools are one element of a number of measures for assessing the risk of re-offending: offender managers make robust risk assessments based on their professional expertise. The most complex cases, and those with the highest assessed risk of re-offending or causing harm, will attract the most intensive intervention. In all cases, the professional judgement of the offender manager is a key factor in deciding what measures are needed to manage an offender and prevent re-offending.

Ministry of Justice: Living Wage

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to ensure that (a) his Department and (b) all companies delivering services outsourced by his Department are Living Wage employers, as recognised by the Living Wage Foundation.

Rory Stewart: In line with the Government’s commitment given in the budget, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) will continue to ensure staff are paid at or above the statutory National Living Wage which is currently £7.50 per hour. All companies delivering outsourced services to the MoJ are obligated to comply with legislation and as a minimum, pay the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage. The rates of pay for employees of outsourced service providers are determined by and a matter for those companies.

Speed Limits: Fines

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people received speeding fines in North Cornwall in each year since 2015.

Rory Stewart: The number of fines imposed by courts for speeding offences in the Cornwall Local Justice area, from 2015 to 2016 (latest available data), can be viewed in the table. Data for courts specifically located in North Cornwall cannot be separately identified. Court proceedings data for 2017 are planned for publication in May 2018.

Ministry of Justice: Buildings

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions rooms owned by his Department have been used by external organisations; and in each case (a) by what organisation, (b) on what date, (c) how much was paid for the use of the room and (d) which rooms were used in each year since 2010.

Rory Stewart: The information requested is not held centrally.

Ministry of Justice: Fair Trade Initiative

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of his Department's spend on day-to-day goods comprised fair trade products in each of the last eight years.

Rory Stewart: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice: Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, to which organisations his Department has outsourced functions since 2011.

Rory Stewart: The requested information is not stored centrally. The MoJ would be required to write to each business within MoJ to advise what works has been outsourced since 2011 and the information requested could therefore only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice: Trade Unions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what percentage of workers employed directly by his Department belonged to a trade union in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Rory Stewart: The only data held on this is at December 2014 when the number of staff within the MoJ (including HMPPS) that were members of trades unions was 43,286 which equated to 63.21% of staff numbers. Following the removal of check-off as a method of payment for members to pay for union subscriptions, it is no longer possible for the department to verify the numbers of staff that are currently trade union members.

Ministry of Justice: Zero Hours Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) full-time staff, (b) part-time staff, (c) temporary staff and (d) any other staff were employed directly by his Department on zero-hours contracts in each of the last eight years.

Rory Stewart: The table below shows the number of individuals working in MOJ and HMPPS who were placed on zero hours contracts over the specified time period. Currently those individuals on zero hours contracts within MOJ are scheduled court ushers who are working within HMCTS. Snapshot dateTotalMOJHMPPS231/1/20172121031/12/20162625131/12/201513027331/01/20157366731/12/2013120120031/12/2012140140031/12/20111721720   MOJ Snapshot of data taken in 12 month intervals on the 31st of December each year other than 2014 which is a snapshot on the 31st of January 2015. This is because of missing data.HMPPS data taken as a snapshot at 31st March of each year.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Construction: Standards

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure continued mutual recognition of Eurocodes design and civil engineering standards for UK and EU companies and other bodies after the UK has left the EU.

Dominic Raab: The Government recognises the importance of Eurocodes design and civil engineering standards in supporting a productive, open and competitive business environment. The Government has been clear that in our negotiations with the EU, the UK will seek to secure a new, deep and special partnership, with the greatest possible tariff and barrier-free trade with Europe.

Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review the effectiveness of  the objectively assessed need formula for housing.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 01 March 2018



The Government is introducing a new standard method to assess local housing need, which will provide a transparent and consistent basis for understanding the need for homes in each area. This is not a local housing target and assessing needs is the starting point in the process, not the end. We set out the proposed method in our consultation Planning for the Right Homes in the Right Places, which closed on 9 November 2017. We will consult on a draft revised National Planning Policy Framework before Easter.

Ministry of Defence

Parachute Regiment: Training

Leo Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the proportion of parachute regiment personnel that are up to date with parachute training; and whether he plans to increase the provision of jump training.

Mark Lancaster: 89% of eligible regular personnel in The Parachute Regiment are qualified and 'competent' parachutists, meaning they have the requisite level of skill as a military parachutist to conduct their job. Detailed information regarding readiness is not released as it would disclose to adversaries the picture of our capability in Defence.From April 2017 the Army has increased the number of Army Parachute Jump Instructors and the provision of parachutes.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution: Standards

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will include objectives and targets for the (a) reduction of nitrogen deposition and (b) restoration of protected wildlife sites in its forthcoming clean air strategy.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Our Clean Air Strategy will set out measures and actions to achieve ambitious targets to reduce emissions of damaging pollutants to air, including emissions of ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen oxides (NOX), which contribute to nitrogen deposition. Action is already being taken at a local and regional level to raise awareness of nitrogen deposition effects on natural habitats to identify appropriate emission reduction and mitigation measures. For example, Natural England is piloting a Shared Nitrogen Action Plan project in several areas across England.

Waste

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total amount was of municipal solid waste generated in each of the last ten years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Data on all waste collected and managed by local authorities is published annually in our statistical release entitled ‘Statistics on waste managed by local authorities in England’. This relates to primarily household waste.   Please see Table 1 attached for financial year data on all waste generated within the remit of local authorities in England from 2007/08 to 2016/17. 



Local authority (LA) collected waste generation, E
(Word Document, 13.6 KB)

Bottles: Plastics

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of setting a precise date for the complete phasing out of single-use plastic bottles.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: This Government has not undertaken an assessment of the feasibility of setting a precise date for the complete phasing out of single-use plastic bottles. In autumn 2017 an independent working group set up under the Litter Strategy for England held a call for evidence on measures to reduce littering of drinks containers and promote recycling. This included seeking evidence on the costs, benefits and impacts of deposit return schemes. The working group has recently submitted its report to Ministers, who will make a decision on next steps shortly.

Home Office

Bank Services: Fraud

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he intends to bring forward legislative proposals to reduce the success of telephone banking scams.

Mr Ben Wallace: The activities underpinning telephone banking scams, such as impersonating a bank, are captured under the Fraud Act 2006. The Joint Fraud Taskforce which brings together Government, banks and law enforcement will continue to develop a collective response to fraud.

Shipping: Identity Cards

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Government plans to ratify International Labour Organisation Convention 185 on Seafarers' Identity Documents.

Caroline Nokes: The UK has always been supportive of the Convention but in line with a number of other States preferred alignment with the International Civil Aviation Organizations Standards for Travel Documents (ICAO 9303) as this provided for a more secure document.The UK was a key State in pushing through the amendments that were formally adopted in 2016 that finally aligned the Convention with ICAO 9303. There are a number of technical and practical issues that the UK is currently resolving to allow the UK to produce documents to the required standard. It is expected that if these can be suitably addressed than the UK will be in a position to pursue formal ratification.

Migrant Workers

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the reasons were for the December 2017 increase to the minimum points threshold for Tier 2 certificates of sponsorship; what the annual quota for such certificates is; and what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of provision of such certificates for private sector employers wising to hire non-EU staff.

Caroline Nokes: Tier 2, our main immigration route for non-EEA workers, operates an annual cap of 20,700 places per year. The cap, which was set on advice from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), ensures that the Government can control migration and encourages employers to look first to the domestic workforce before recruiting from overseas.Restricted Certificates of Sponsorship – which are places within the cap – are allocated by points scores. When demand exceeds available places, priority, and the highest number of points, is awarded to occupations in national shortage first. The higher minimum points score in December 2017 was due to a rise in demand.We keep all of our immigration routes under review.

Asylum: Accommodation Centres

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum accommodation centres UKVI (a) inspected and (b) found to be falling short of the required standards of safe, habitable and fit for purpose accommodation that complies with decent homes standard and other relevant housing standards in each of the last five years.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2018 to Question 128378, on how many occasions UKVI has taken steps to hold suppliers to account for providing unsuitable, unfit for purpose and uninhabitable accommodation in asylum accommodation centres in each of the last five years; and what procedures UKVI has in place to hold such suppliers to account.

Caroline Nokes: All asylum accommodation is inspected on a regular basis by the provider and the Home Office in accordance with the performance standards defined in the contract. Performance is monitored via the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) regime, details of which are set out in the contracts and cover the provision of the whole service. The property inspection process forms part of the Home Office’s rigorous contract compliance regime which ensures that the required performance standards expected of all providers are met.Where inspected property does not meet the required standards there are strict time limits on resolving property defects; failure to meet those time limits can result in service credits being applied through financial deduction from monthly invoices. These are monitored formally, on a monthly basis, at Contract Management meetings between the providers and representatives of UK Visas and Immigration.The Home Office does not publish data on accommodation inspections or the value of service credit that have been accrued on the contracts.In line with government transparency commitments details of the standards required are already in the public domain. The particular document that details the standards is titled ‘COMPASS Project Schedule 2 - Statement of Requirements’ and is available on the Contracts Finder Archive on the Data.Gov.UK Website at:https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/487962/

Immigration: Middle East

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Christians from Syria and Iraq have been resettled in the UK to date.

Caroline Nokes: Our resettlement schemes prioritise the most vulnerable refugees regardless of race, religion or ethnicity – we do not discriminate in favour of, or against, any particular group. This is why we work closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees which has well-established procedures and criteria for identifying and resettling the most vulnerable refugees.The refugees that we are bringing to the United Kingdom are very vulnerable people. Our primary concern is their safety and protection as they arrive here. We believe that one way to protect their privacy and enable their recovery and integration is to limit the amount of information about them that we make publicly available. We therefore do not plan to publish a breakdown of resettled refugees’ religious affiliations.

Refugees: Families

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of whether there is a need to review current immigration policy on extended family reunification applications which are rejected because they do not meet financial or accommodation thresholds.

Caroline Nokes: There are no financial or accommodation requirements for family reunion applications to join immediate family members who are refugees in the UK. You can find guidance on Family Reunion for refugees on GOV.UK.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/541818/Family_reunion_guidance_v2.pdfExtended family members can also sponsor refugee children to join them in the UK under the Immigration Rules. Those applying must show that they can provide adequate maintenance and accommodation that is suitable for the child’s care. This is set out in the Immigration Directorate Instructions on GOV.UK:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/452964/IDI_Adequate_Maintenance_and_Accommodation_Part_8_Annex_F.pdfWhere an application fails under the Immigration Rules, including where an applicant is unable to meet financial or accommodation thresholds, our policy requires caseworker to consider whether there are any exceptional circumstances for granting a visa outside the Rules.

Refugees: Families

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of family reunification on (a) the wellbeing and (b) integration of child refugees living in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: Family reunion for refugees in the UK is a very important issue and one which we must approach with sensitivity and compassion. The Government’s policy objective is to support the principle of family unity by bringing together pre-flight families separated by conflict or oppression.We are currently discussing our approach to family reunion with non-governmental organisations, and as part of that we are reviewing existing research on the wellbeing and integration of refugees living in the UK.

Firearms: Licensing

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that medical practices comply with published guidance on the medical requirements for obtaining a firearms license.

Mr Nick Hurd: The arrangements for providing medical information as part of the firearms licensing process, introduced in 2016, are voluntary and we know that there is significant variation in how GPs respond to the police request for this information.We have been in discussions with the police, the relevant medical bodies, and representatives of shooting organisations about how greater consistency can be achieved across England and Wales.

Confiscation Orders

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many confiscation orders have been issued under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 since 2016; what the value of assets subject to restraint orders under that Act since 2016 were; and if she will publish the gross confiscation receipts year since 2016.

Mr Ben Wallace: The first Asset Recovery Statistical Bulletin was issued in September 2017 and will be published on an annual basis. It included the gross annual confiscation receipts.

Doctors: Migrant Workers

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of including intensive care medical practitioners in the Immigration Rules Appendix K: Shortage Occupation List.

Caroline Nokes: The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) advises the Government on changes to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). The MAC has determined that a number of doctors, including various posts in emergency medicine and consultants specialising in clinical radiology, are in national shortage and they appear on the published SOL in Appendix K of the Immigration Rules.The SOL sits under Tier 2, our main immigration route for non-EEA workers. Applications for jobs on the SOL receive the highest priority – and the highest number of points – when allocating a Tier 2 (General) place.The SOL is kept under regular review, with the most recent changes made to it last April.

Fraud

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has held with the National Crime Agency on the resourcing of the economic crime unit.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of FTE staff that will be employed to work at the national economic crime centre.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to have the National Economic Crime Centre take on fraud.

Mr Ben Wallace: The new National Economic Crime Centre will task and coordinate the overall law enforcement response to economic crime. The Home Office is working with partners across government, law enforcement, regulators and the private sector on the design of the centre, which has an initial £6m in funding allocated to it in the 18/19 financial year.

Firearms: Crime

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the proportion of gun crime committed by Firearms and Shotgun Certificate holders in the last 10 years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office holds information on the number of offences involving a firearm recorded by the police in England and Wales. It is not possible to tell from this information whether the offence was carried out by a firearm or shotgun certificate holder.

HM Treasury

Bank Notes

Simon Hoare: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many bank notes were (a) printed and (b) in circulation each year between 2010 and 2017.

Robert Jenrick: This information is available on the Bank of England website at: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics/banknoteSummary tables have been reproduced below. DateNumber of banknotes produced (m)2009/1013692010/1112902011/129942012/1313102013/149522014/158432015/166742016/17912   DateNumber of banknotes in circulation (£m)20102576.320112667.320122833.920132993.220143070.920153238.720163420.820173662.9

Treasury: Fairtrade Initiative

Chris Ruane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of his Department's spend on day-to-day goods comprised fair trade products in each of the last eight years.

Robert Jenrick: We cannot aggregate day-to-day spend comprised of fair trade products due to not holding this data centrally. Our accommodation and stationery products are purchased through a third-party supplier.

Treasury: Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, to which organisations his Department has outsourced functions since 2011.

Robert Jenrick: In 2017 the Treasury outsourced the Equitable Life Payment Scheme (ELPS) to Capita Employee Benefits Ltd.

Treasury: Trade Unions

Chris Ruane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what percentage of workers employed directly by his Department belonged to a trade union in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Robert Jenrick: The information requested is not available.

Alcoholic Drinks: Minimum Prices

Norman Lamb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect on the Exchequer of introducing a minimum unit pricing for alcohol in combination with a duty escalator.

Robert Jenrick: No such assessment has been made.

Treasury: Zero Hours Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) full-time staff, (b) part-time staff, (c) temporary staff and (d) any other staff were employed directly by his Department on zero-hours contracts in each of the last eight years.

Robert Jenrick: The department has not employed anyone on a zero hours contract in the last 8 years

Treasury: Flexible Working

Chris Ruane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what percentage of employees in his Department worked (a) in departmental accommodation, (b) from home and (c) at any other location in the most recent 12-month period for which data is available.

Robert Jenrick: HM Treasury does not hold the information requested. The Department operates a Flexible Working policy which allows employees to work remotely subject to line manager approval and business needs.

Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges

Simon Hoare: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the use of ATMs remains free of charge.

Robert Jenrick: The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash via ATMs remains extremely important in the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK, and will continue to work with industry to ensure that it is maintained. The Government established the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) in 2015 with a statutory objective to ensure that the UK’s payment systems work in the interests of their users. As part of this, the PSR is monitoring developments within ATM provision, and recently set out three requirements of LINK, the scheme behind the UK’s ATM network: that LINK must maintain the current geographical spread of ATMs; that any changes made to interchange fees must be incremental to allow LINK to monitor the impact and take action if the impact is not as expected; and for a greater focus on LINK’s Financial Inclusion Programme, which ensures the provision of ATMs in certain areas where demand would not otherwise make one viable, to continue to fill gaps in the network. The PSR has committed to using its powers to act should any of the firms it regulates behave in a way that conflicts with its statutory objectives. The PSR has recently published a summary of their work to date, which can be found at https://www.psr.org.uk/psr-focus/the-UK-ATM-network. Following the publication of these three criteria, LINK committed to maintaining an extensive network of free-to-use cash machines, ensuring that the present geographical spread of ATMs is maintained, and bolstering its Financial Inclusion Programme. LINK will also protect all free-to-use ATMs which are a kilometre or more from the next nearest free-to-use ATM, and ensure that any community that loses ATM access because of a branch closure has a free ATM provided. Furthermore, LINK will undertake an annual review of the impact of the interchange fee reduction as it is phased in over the next four years. In addition, LINK will set up publicly available monitoring on its website of every area of the country showing free ATM availability, and highlight any areas where free ATM availability is lost.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Written Questions

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to Question 120865 on reports commissioned by his Department on looked-after children, for what reasons his Department has not answered the Question, which was due for answer on 8 January 2018.

Mr David Lidington: I refer my Hon Friend to the answer given to PQ120865 on 25th January.

Mothers: Employment

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of mothers in England with a child aged under five are in full-time work.

Chloe Smith: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 26 February 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.


UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 143.98 KB)




UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 144.62 KB)

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.


UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 143.98 KB)




UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 144.62 KB)

Cabinet Office: Written Questions

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 123289, tabled on 17 January 2018.

Mr David Lidington: I refer my Hon Friend to the answer given to PQ123289 on 27th February.

Labour Market: Disability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date he plans to publish the next statistical update on the labour market status of disabled people.

Chloe Smith: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 01 March 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 146.68 KB)

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 146.68 KB)

Department for International Trade

China: Trade Missions

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many Scottish companies which had not previously taken part in a trade mission were invited on the last trade visit to China in 2017.

Graham Stuart: All UK companies, including those located or operating in Scotland, are able to access the Department for International Trade's (DIT) national events and missions programme. This is viewable on great.gov.uk which is promoted nationally.The most recent trade mission to China in 2017 was for the Airports sector and ran from 27th _ 30th November. One Scottish company took part in this trade mission. They have received ongoing support from DIT.

Department for International Trade: Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, to which organisations his Department has outsourced functions since 2011.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade has not outsourced any core internal functions since it was formally established in 2016 but we did inherit some outsourced contracts from UK Trade and Investment and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.These included some contracts related to Trade promotion work in the UK, and overseas, and corporate services such as HR, IT and Finance functions.A portion of these contracts have been re-negotiated or re-let since the Department was formed.

Department for International Trade: Flexible Working

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many and what percentage of employees in his Department worked (a) in departmental accommodation, (b) from home and (c) at any other location in the most recent 12-month period for which data is available.

Greg Hands: The table below sets out the number of employees of the Department for International Trade (DIT), including UK Export Finance, and on payroll, as at 31 January 2018. The total also includes those people working for DIT, based overseas, and paid via the FCO payroll.   Number of employees%(a)Departmental accommodation172454%(b)Home workers (UKEF)231%(c)Other location143445%Departmental accommodation is defined as locations occupied and assigned to DIT within the UK. Other location is defined as accommodation that DIT uses principally for overseas staff, which include Embassies and other consular accommodation.The department operates a range of flexible working arrangements available to employees including home working. Those who have a formal home worker contract are shown above.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling: Advertising

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if the Government will bring forward legislative proposals to ban or regulate the use of gambling advertising on players' shirts at sporting events; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: Gambling advertising and sponsorship arrangements at sporting events must be socially responsible and must never be targeted at children. Depending on the nature of the sponsorship and how it is presented, Ofcom, the Advertising Standards Authority or the Gambling Commission could all take action if a breach was reported. The gambling industry code for socially responsible advertising requires that operators’ logos must not appear on any commercial merchandising which is designed for children, including replica football shirts in children’s sizes. The Gambling Review consultation, which was published on 31 October, set out a package of initiatives from regulators, industry and broadcasters to strengthen protections around gambling advertising further. Government takes gambling related harm very seriously and is currently in the process of analysing responses from the consultation, which closed on 23 January. The Government response will be published in due course.

Horses: Databases

Dame Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what advice his Department is providing to the equine sector on the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation.

Margot James: All UK businesses together with all organisations that process personal data will be required to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) after 25th May 2018 and the UK's full data protection regime as set out in the Data Protection Bill. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) provides guidance and support to UK organisations and have already published a number of resources on the Commissioner's website (ico.org.uk) to help organisations prepare. The ICO has: launched a dedicated helpline service for smaller organisations; updated its 'SME toolkit' to reflect the requirements of the GDPR; simplified its "12-step" GDPR preparation guidance; and published tailored guidance for charities.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Independent review of Full-Time Social Action, published in January 2018, what assessment his Department has made of potential merits of youth full-time social action in relation to the National Citizen Service.

Tracey Crouch: My Department is carefully considering the recommendations made by the Review of Full Time Social Action by Young People, including the recommendation relating to the National Citizen Service. The Government will issue its response in due course.

Museums and Galleries: Cornwall

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of public funding for museums in (a) Cornwall and (b) North Cornwall.

Michael Ellis: The recently published Mendoza Review of museums in England found that public funding to museums and galleries in England has totalled over £8.4 billion in the past decade. Museums in Cornwall receive public funding from a variety of sources, including Arts Council England (ACE), Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), local authorities and others, as well as benefiting from a range of tax reliefs and grants. It is therefore not possible to provide a comprehensive breakdown of public funding for museums in the region.  ACE has invested in Cornwall’s museums through its support for Cornwall Museums Partnership (CMP). As a Major Partnership Museum, CMP has received £1.5m from ACE since 2015, and as a National Portfolio Organisation in the next spending round from 2018-2022 will receive £2.44m funding to enable Cornwall’s museums to become a strong network of sustainable organisations. Government also directly sponsors Tate St Ives which reopened in October following a major project which saw it nearly double in size, supported by £2.8m from the HLF.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Fairtrade Initiative

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of his Department's spend on day-to-day goods has comprised fair trade products in each of the last eight years.

Margot James: The information requested is not held centrally and could ony be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what organisations his Department has outsourced functions to since 2011.

Margot James: DCMS has not outsourced functions since 2011.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Trade Unions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what percentage of workers employed directly by his Department belonged to a trade union in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Margot James: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has limited information, presented in the table below. However information is not held on those employees who chose to pay their trade union subscriptions themselves directly through direct debit to their trade union. Therefore an accurate overall percentage figure cannot be given, as it would not include these employees.  20132014201520162017DCMS Staff400394475527656Percentage belonging to a trade union29%37%28%20%13% This data is based on the position at 31st March in each of the years given and the number of staff who paid their trade union subscriptions through the payroll. This includes permanent staff, those on fixed-term contracts, those on paid loan/secondment in/out of DCMS and those on paid maternity leave.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Zero Hours Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) full-time staff, (b) part-time staff, (c) temporary staff and (d) any other staff were directly employed on zero-hours contracts by his Department in each of the last eight years.

Margot James: The number of (a) full-time staff, (b) part-time staff, (c) temporary staff, and (d) any other staff directly employed on zero-hours contracts is given below:  20102011201220132014201520162017(a) Full-time440400420360346421483595(b) Part-time5050404048544461(c) Temporary staff***3551685454(d) Zero-hour contracts✝✝✝00000 This data is based on the position at 31st March in each of the years given. The full-time and part-time figures include Civil Servants on DCMS’ payroll. This includes permanent staff, those on fixed-term contracts, those on paid loan/secondment in/out of DCMS and those on paid maternity leave. Exact headcount is given for 2014 to 2017 based on data DCMS currently holds. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 for full-time and part-time staff for 2010 to 2013 as this information is taken from data published in the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey. This data source can be found here: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/construct/summary.asp?mode=construct&version=0&dataset=129 Data is based on the position at 31st March in each year so 2018 data is not yet available. This data will be uploaded to this website later in 2018. * Information on temporary staff is taken from the Workforce Management Information which DCMS produces on a monthly basis and publishes annually. This information was not produced before 2013. ✝ Information on zero-hour contracts is not available before 2013.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Flexible Working

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what percentage of employees in his Department worked (a) in departmental accommodation, (b) from home and (c) at any other location in the most recent 12-month period for which data is available.

Margot James: At 1st January 2018 the breakdown of DCMS staff is as follows: Departmental accommodation880Satellite offices and Government hubs*29Percentage3.3% These figures include permanent staff, those staff on fixed term contracts, those staff on loan/secondment into DCMS, those staff on paid maternity leave, and temps and interim staff. *Includes staff working from home

Women and Equalities

Castes: Discrimination

Kate Green: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to Caste in Great Britain and equality law: a public consultation, which closed on 18 September 2017, when the Government plans to publish its response to that consultation.

Victoria Atkins: Government received over 16,000 responses to the public consultation, confirming that this is an extremely sensitive and emotive subject. We are currently considering these responses carefully to ensure that there is appropriate legal protection against caste discrimination in the UK, and will publish a response in due course.